What to Do with an Overload (or Not) of Peppers

If only by the end of summer we as cooks and gardeners felt burdened by our pepper crop; found ourselves dumping our bounty on neighbors' front doors; bemoaned yet another dinner of chiles rellenos.

Imagine if we faced a wealth of glossy -- red! -- peppers every time we walked out to those raised beds. If only so many of us were not still waiting for our green-fruit laden plants to show any signs of ripening.

We can dream, but the good news is that Yotam Ottolenghi has come to the rescue. With just two peppers and a few other ingredients -- fresh basil, capers, mixed greens, and shaved Pecorino -- the master of vegetarian cooking has crafted a late-summer salad filled with texture and flavor. And despite the presence of a few strong characters (capers, Pecorino), the flavor of the peppers permeates every bite.

The trick is that the roasted peppers marinate for at least an hour in a mix of olive oil, balsamic, garlic, and thyme. During this time, the peppers not only absorb these flavors, but also infuse a smoky sweetness into the marinade, which ultimately becomes the dressing for the salad.

These roasted peppers can be used in countless ways, most simply with a loaf of crusty bread and a wedge of cheese. But the salad -- made with nearly equal parts herbs to greens, and laced with slivers of red, pops of green, and stark white cheese shavings throughout -- is stunning. And (with or without a bumper crop of peppers) can be on your table tonight.

Check out the slideshow above to learn how to use up an overload of peppers.

Down & Dirty: Bell Peppers
Roasted Red Peppers
Down & Dirty: Hot Peppers

This article originally appeared on Food52: What to Do with an Overload (or Not) of Peppers